Research Institutions Affordability For Residents

Public research institutions - enrollment - percentage of in-state and foreign students - requirements - appropriation. Under current law, the number of in-state students enrolled at public institutions of higher education is governed by various percentage limits and requirements. The act standardizes the calculation for public research institutions in the following ways:

• Requires the university of northern Colorado (UNC) and the Colorado school of mines (CSM), in addition to the university of Colorado (CU) and Colorado state university (CSU), to admit 100% of academically qualified Colorado first-time freshman students;
• Reduces the various percentages so that in-state students make up no less than 55% of total enrollments at each campus of CU and at CSU, UNC, and CSM, excluding foreign students and students enrolled solely in online courses; and
• Increases the cap on foreign students enrolled at CU and CSU to 15% of total student enrollment and includes UNC and CSM in the percentage limit.

The department of higher education (department) shall submit an annual report to specified committees of the general assembly demonstrating that the institutions included in the act have met resident admission and enrollment requirements. The department and the public research institutions shall ensure that necessary data is available for the report.

For the 2018-19 state fiscal year, the act appropriates $8,181,450 from student tuition to the department for use by the regents of the university of Colorado.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)